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Interstellar Communication with a Prism?

-- Alexandre | March 26, 2020

Question:

Hello,

When light goes through a prism (or other optical filters), it gets split into components for certain frequencies. Were we to place prism in a satellite on an orbit where the sun looks very small, and align it perfectly with another star, then from that other star’s perspective, the observations would show a sudden narrowing of the frequencies seen.

Wouldn’t this be a cheap and easy way for interstellar communication, and seti?

-- Alexandre

Answer:

I don’t think that the description of your scenario is correct. The light from our Sun as viewed through the prism from a distant star would be expanded out into its component wavelengths, just like when the light from any object passes through a prism. I don’t believe that this scenario allows itself to be used as a form of interstellar communication.

-- Jeff Mangum

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